Natalie Hanassab
After a recent series of disappointing films, “Made of Honor” finally brought back the happy and feel-good film moviegoers have been longing for.
Patrick Dempsey, star of ABC’s hit show “Grey’s Anatomy,” plays Tom, a bachelor and serial dater who has been best friends with Hannah since they met at a college party a decade earlier.
Hannah, played by Michelle Monaghan (“The Heartbreak Kid”), is the complete opposite of her friend, in that she is not just looking for a fling, but for Mr. Right.
When Hannah goes away to Scotland for a six-week business trip, Tom finally realizes that he may have feelings for Hannah and plans to tell her when she returns.
Little does he know that Hannah will return with a Scottish fiancé, after which she asks Tom to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Scotland.
With the help of his friends, Tom accepts her offer in hopes of spending as much time with her as possible, proving that he is the better man and is finally ready to make a commitment.
With its semi-predictable plot, Hannah assures Tom that she is going to marry Colin, her fiancé, because she needs someone she can trust to always be there for her. These words get to Tom as he races back to the altar to find Hannah.
The film was off to a great start when director Paul Weiland creatively planned how the two friends met.
Tom was wearing a Bill Clinton mask, since it was Halloween, and Hannah was asleep in her bed upstairs. Tom was supposed to meet a girl in her room and as he crawled into bed with her while she was sleeping, he realized it wasn’t her. The girl turned out to be Hannah, and she jumped up, screamed and sprayed her perfume in Tom’s eyes as if it was pepper spray.
This scene had the audience laughing in their seat, especially seeing Dempsey 10 years younger.
The film was filled with a lot of cutesy humor, such as when the “maid of honor” helps Hannah pick out lingerie for her wedding night.
It’s difficult to criticize the film when it was so satisfying in so many areas.
The film is rated PG-13 for sexual content and language. Although it may not be a film for young kids, it’s great as a date movie or for a night out with friends.